Jerry Mischak was born in Newark, New Jersey and received his BFA from RISD and MFA from The University of Wisconsin, Madison in painting. He held teaching appointments at RISD, Brown and URI in painting and sculpture. He was awarded fellowships from The RI Council of the Arts in 2001 and The Howard Foundation in 2001. His work has been reviewed in The NY Times, The New Yorker, Time Out, CNN, The Washington Post and others. He is currently represented by Jim Kempner Fine Art in NYC and had selected solo shows at Jim Kempner ” Every Day Life”, Din Din Industry Gallery, Washington DC, Imaginary Solutions, Meltem Biery Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. Selected Group show at Sidebitch-LA, “Uplift”, Los Angeles, CA, “Unfixed Concrete Ideal”, Boston City Hall, Fall River City Hall and Arts space, Portsmouth, NH. Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Xi’an, China, China National Academy of Painting, Beijing, China, “Wendy Edwards and Jerry Mischak”, Mystic Museum of Art, Mystic, CT, “Uncannyland”, Cohen Gallery, Granoff Center Brown University, “Color “Coded”, Islip Museum, Islip, NY and “Couples Discourse” The Palmer Museum, Penn State, PA.
Grass is Greener 2025
Acrylic on Canvas 48″ x 42″
Artist Statement
I draw/paint from the activity and situation I’m placed in, my work requires an exhaustive and exploratory improvisation. The excitement lies in beginning with no clear idea of what the final product will consist of once an object begins to develop, each piece has a say in the next move I will undertake. What coalesces is the synthesis of my emotional, mental, and physical reaction to the environment around me and is therefore entirely dependent on the time, place, and location of my workflow.
Additional Info
Artist Instagram: @jerrymischak
Part of Growing the NetWorks
This artist was selected by a past NetWorks Rhode Island participant as part of Growing the NetWorks — a 2025 exhibition presented by WaterFire Providence, at the WaterFire Arts Center, celebrating peer-nominated artists from across Rhode Island. Learn more at waterfire.org/growingthenetworks
Highlighting the work of selected artists who have played vital roles in shaping the contemporary visual arts community in Rhode Island. This collection of brief video portraits provides a window into the lives, practices, and cultural contributions of professional artists.
